Inventory processing facilities, such as materials handling facilities, distribution warehouses, mail-order warehouses, and custom-order manufacturing facilities, maintain a vast physical inventory of items that are to be sold or shipped to customers around the world. Due to orders, shipments and other changes to the inventories, the need often arises to transport items between inventory processing facilities or to the customer. The inventory items are often transported using a semi-trailer, box, van, or other shipping container having a fixed size.